anomie
Collective moral drift
Anomie is a condition of social instability resulting from the breakdown of standards and values.
The term describes what happens when traditional norms lose their hold—people feel disconnected, purposeless, adrift.
Sociologists use it to explain periods when rapid change leaves individuals without clear guidance: The anomie following the revolution led to widespread despair.
The adjective is anomic.
Emotional separation between people
- disaffectionLoss of loyalty
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- disconnectionState of being severed
- disengagementWithdrawal from involvement
rootlessness · purposelessness · disillusionment · marginalization · exclusion · withdrawal · apathy · indifference
Absence of governing rules
- rulelessnessAbsence of governing constraints
- valuelessnessAbsence of any worth
- aimlessnessLack of direction
- directionlessnessAbsence of aim or course
meaninglessness · disorientation · instability · deregulation · breakdown · uncertainty · ambiguity · confusion
Diffuse, sourceless discomfort
- hopelessnessState without hope
- nihilismRejection of objective meaning
- emptinessAbsence of substance
- futilityLack of purpose
disenchantment · cynicism · demoralization · listlessness · weariness · weltschmerz · ennui · resignation
Founding French sociologist
- industrializationTransition to factory-based economy
- modernizationAdoption of current methods
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- MertonLondon borough
Breaking into smaller pieces
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
- collapseSudden structural failure
- dissolutionBreaking up completely
- decayGradual organic breakdown
deterioration · erosion · unraveling · fracturing · destabilization · decomposition · rupture · splintering
estrangement
Emotional separation between people
- disaffectionLoss of loyalty
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- disconnectionState of being severed
disengagement · rootlessness · purposelessness · disillusionment · marginalization · exclusion · withdrawal · apathy · indifference · disenfranchisement
lawlessness
Absence of governing rules
- rulelessnessAbsence of governing constraints
- valuelessnessAbsence of any worth
- aimlessnessLack of direction
directionlessness · meaninglessness · disorientation · instability · deregulation · breakdown · uncertainty · ambiguity · confusion · guidelessness
malaise
Diffuse, sourceless discomfort
- hopelessnessState without hope
- nihilismRejection of objective meaning
- emptinessAbsence of substance
futility · disenchantment · cynicism · demoralization · listlessness · weariness · weltschmerz · ennui · resignation · discontent
Durkheim
Founding French sociologist
- industrializationTransition to factory-based economy
- modernizationAdoption of current methods
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
Merton · deviance · solidarity
fragmentation
Breaking into smaller pieces
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
- collapseSudden structural failure
- dissolutionBreaking up completely
decay · deterioration · erosion · unraveling · fracturing · destabilization · decomposition · rupture · splintering · crumbling
- A- wordsamoral, apathy, atheist, atypical, asymmetric
- existentialismexistence, authenticity, existential angst, existential crisis, angst
- societal decaydecline, decay, degradation, degeneration, deterioration
- Classical SociologyDurkheim, Marx, Weber, Engels, class struggle
- criminologycrime, criminology, criminal behavior, criminologist, criminalization
- French sociologycollective conscience, collective consciousness, habitus, cultural capital, social capital